


two sides of the same coin

by hcllelujah



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Bickering, Gen, Introspection, Light Angst, Self-Destruction, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:21:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25106101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hcllelujah/pseuds/hcllelujah
Summary: "Thomas always favours your ideas over mine. Favours you over me." said Remus, his tone bitter. "He gets praised by everyone for his creativity, and it's always about you, not me. Never me."
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders
Kudos: 19





	two sides of the same coin

**Author's Note:**

> These two are a limitless source of angst that just keeps on giving. I initially wanted this to be fluffy and wholesome but then my finger slipped, oops. Enjoy reading! Feedback is deeply appreciated!

Roman's hands were placed on his hips, a triumph smile stretching across his cheeks as he eyed his creation with the utmost pride. The golden details shone under the lights, contrasting beautifully against the bold red color of the sush. Sure, it looked a bit wonky, but that was to be expected. After all, Roman had never dabbled into the art of sewing, and he had to admit, it wasn't as easy as he had anticipated. The sleeves were too long, ending just above the knee whilst the pants stopped at an awkward length, making it look disproportionate. Still, Roman felt incredibly proud of his work and what he had managed to accomplish. 

When his gaze fell onto the clock, his toothy grin turned into a frown. It was bedtime, and Roman already knew he'd have a difficult time falling asleep. The entire day was filled with creative brainstorming, his mind wandering off to magical places with giant castles and gorgeous princes, dragons and feisty witches! Turning off his thoughts was a challenge, especially during the night. Other times, he was fast asleep the second his head touched the pillow. He figured it was because sleeping lead to dreaming, another outlet for his creative endeavors.

Roman huffed out a sigh, not looking forward to tossing and turning for the rest of the night. Not to mention a certain logical side would, without a hint of a doubt, scold him for keeping Thomas up. Roman couldn't help but roll his eyes, almost able to hear Logans' a little less than pleasant nagging.

With a quick snap of his fingers, the only remaining lights were that of the stars and moon above. Being creativity sure had its perks, especially when it came to Romans' ability to summon or create (for lack of a better word) whatever he wanted, quicker and with the most ease. Another snap and Roman was clad in his favourite, cinderella themed pajamas. The fabric was oh so soft and warm to the touch, which Roman hoped would help steer him to dreamland. It wasn't quite bedtime yet. Thomas was still brushing his teeth, humming the chorus of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, one of his favourites— _No. No, not the time_. Roman shook his head, not allowing the tune linger in his mind for long before jumping on his bed, eager to dive under the covers.

His back laid flat against the mattress, eyes wide open and gazing at the stars shining from above. Thomas had a big day ahead of him, audition day, to be exact. The thought alone made the creative side feel giddy, similar to how Patton got whenever Thomas passed by a dog on the street.

Suddenly, Roman heard a shuffle. The sound causing him to momentarily freeze up, on edge and with his ears peeled. Silence filled the room. Roman tugged at his blanket, pulling it up and over his nose, eyes searching the room intently. A sharp creaking noise made Roman's heart jump and then— BOO!

A startled scream left Romans' lips, fingers grasping at his blanket with an iron grip before quickly pulling it over his head. Before he knew it, the lights turned on with a snap, and an all too familiar laughter filled the room. Romans' eyes snapped open, anger bubbling up in his chest as realisation dawned on him.

"Ha! Gotcha! Didn't— Didn't even see it coming! Or did you, Ro?" asked Remus, snickering between his words, trying to stifle his laughter but to no avail.

" _This_ again?! Didn't I tell you to cut it out already?!" hissed Roman, glaring at his brother with furrowed brows.

Remus gave a nod, shrugging with an innocent smile plastered on his face. "You did. But I just couldn't resist!"

Roman sighed, irritated still but much calmer than before. He got so angry he hadn't even noticed the state his brother was in, which wasn't out of the ordinary but seemed off somehow. Being creativity translated to their mutual love for dressing up; although the definition of "dressing up" changed drastically depending on the brother. Remus dressing up in scary, or disturbing costumes wasn't unheard of. _This_ , however, was much different.

"Since you're here, could you at least explain why— Actually, no. _What_ you're dressed up as?" asked Roman, observing his brother with narrowed eyes as though trying to solve a mystery.

"Isn't it obvious? You're _really_ losing your touch, Roman-Lettuce!"

Roman's face heat up at the nickname, "Wha— No I'm not! Answer my question."

Remus huffed, not expecting his brother to brush off the nickname with such ease. Most of the time, Remus knew exactly which buttons to press in order to get him all riled up but, for some reason, it didn't seem to be working. With a grumpy pout on his lips, Remus gave in.

" _Fine_. Since you're too dumb to realise— I dressed up as a melting trash bag!"

Roman made a face of disgust, "Do I even want to know why?"

"Oh I don't know, do you?"

Roman sighed, his frustration building up once more. "Can you stop doing that?"

Remus paused, a look of genuine confusion filling his eyes and Roman couldn't help but internally smile. It wasn't often he got to see his brother like this. Every other time, his mind seemed to be working a hundred miles an hour so seeing him pause, even for a few seconds, was an endearing sight. 

"I meant answering my question with another question." And with that, the lightbulb above Remus' head turned on.

"Does it annoy you, brother dear?" he asked, lips bending into a shit-eating grin. 

"And you're still doing it." whined Roman, avoiding Remus' gaze with a pout. All of a sudden, the thought of having to go to sleep didn't seem too bad.

Remus hummed, fingers stroking his imaginary mustache, pretending to be in deep thought. The motion caused his sleeve to slip lower, and that's when Roman spotted the dark hues of purple adorning his knuckles. Remus seemed to notice his pointed stare and recoiled. 

"What happened?"

Remus scoffed, "I thought you didn't want to play that game anymore—" 

"I'm serious." said Roman, his tone leaving no room to be questioned.

Remus furrowed his brows at that, perplexed by the sudden change. When he didn't respond, Roman patted the space in front of him, eyeing his brother intently. The invitation was unexpected but Remus didn't question it and instead moved to take a seat on the bed. After he finally settled down, Roman tried a second time.

"What happened?"

Remus seemed to ponder on that question for a while before offering a nonchalant shrug, "I got angry."

Roman, unsure how to answer, made a gesture with his hand so as to say _keep going_. Remus, although hesitant, complied. 

"Thomas always favours your ideas over mine. Favours you over me." said Remus, his tone bitter. "He gets praised by everyone for his creativity, and it's always about _you_ , not me. _Never me._ "

Roman opened his mouth to speak and then immediately closed it, the knot in his stomach growing tighter and tighter. Remus' grin was wide as ever, but his voice betrayed him.

"You see, _I_ get shut down; no matter what I do!" he gritted, hands balling into fists.

"What about the bruising?"

Remus raised a brow, "What about it?"

"I mean— How did it happen? What did you do for it to bruise so badly?"

"Oh," he uttered, " _That_."

"You don't have to answer I just—" Roman stopped himself mid-sentence, choosing his next words carefully. "What can I do?"

That question alone left Remus wondering, craning his neck to the side with his eyebrows furrowed. Roman bit his lip anxiously, unsure whether he even wanted to know the answer. Back when Thomas was a kid, things used to be much easier between them, less complicated. They used to go on many quests together, as brothers, as **one**. But as Thomas got older, Remus' silly antics morphed into pure terrors. It was a slow progression, and Roman got to experience every second of it. Instead of pillow fights, Remus' suggestion was to play with bear traps, see who could run faster and avoid getting caught. Roman shivered at the thought, wanting nothing more than to bury that memory to the ground and never look back.

"I want to stay." said Remus, reluctant but sincere.

Roman sighed, mind pondering over the unusual sight presented in front of him. The fanciful side shifted in place, the blanket feeling heavy under his fingertips as he began to slowly lift it up.

Remus took this as an invitation and made to move, but Roman quickly stopped him with a pointed finger.

"You can stay, but _only_ if you behave. What happened last time you were here was unacceptable and, if you repeat that, you are going straight to your room. No questions asked. You are staying here _on my terms_. Got it?"

"It's always on your terms, isn't it Ro?" smirked Remus. His costume vanished and an appropriate change of clothes appeared in its place, with just a snap of his fingers. After he got comfortable under the covers Roman huffed, turning on his side with a deep frown.

"Shut up."

"Also, when will you get over that?! Seriously, it's been what, 100 years since then? Besides, it's not as though _you_ were any better; did you forget that one time I—"

Roman hissed, turning around to face Remus with cheeks flushed a bright red. His brows furrowed in frustration.

"Okay! Can we stop talking about that now?! Tomorrow's an important day for Thomas and I'm _really_ not in the mood to hear it, especially by Microsoft-Turd!"

"Oooh, borrowing my nicknames, are you?" cooed Remus, "Fine. Have it your way."

Roman sighed, resting his head on the pillow and laying on his side. He felt anxious with his brother next to him, out of place. It was easier to deal with back then, because Thomas was innocent, because there was a filter shielding him from the darkness of the world. Because he was a child, who didn't and couldn't know any better. Remus' progression made sense, it was inevitable and natural but Roman couldn't see past it. He couldn't feel sympathy for Remus, part of him didn't even _want_ to feel sympathy for Remus. Why? Because it served him, because if it hadn't been Remus it would've been him. It was selfish and egoistic—

Roman flinched, a shaky breath leaving him when Remus shuffled closer. The dark side scoffed, sounding almost disappointed.

"I'm not gonna bite you. Just trying to get comfortable."

"Then get on with it." said Roman, tone harsh and unforgiving. He hoped for a similar response, just so they'd be even and all of this could end. Roman scooted over to the far edge of the bed and Remus mirrored him, shuffling towards his side of the bed. A wave of guilt spread through his body and Roman forced it down his throat, pushing it away like he always had.


End file.
